


but the sound has just begun

by Takigawa Aki (mukur0)



Series: louder and louder [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Real World, BDSM, M/M, Risk Aware Consensual Kink, khrmeme, unapologetic smut and dialogue about unapologetic smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:16:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7269793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mukur0/pseuds/Takigawa%20Aki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collars are control. Trust is vulnerability. Boundaries are freedom.<br/>Breaking boundaries is fun.</p><p>Accepting a training collar is more than a ceremony. Creating the contract and coming to terms with it is the first step of a long-term power exchange relationship, and Mukuro is determined to exchange as little power as ze can get away with. Obviously Byakuran has other plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. .1 louder than sirens

**Author's Note:**

> A fill for a prompt at khrmeme @ tumblr.  
> I use ze/zir for Mukuro.  
> This is a real-world AU.  
> It's basically a really long drabble. It won't have any particular climax.

Ze’d never had this problem before.

Looking down at the sheet of paper laid in the center of the table, Mukuro reflected on the rush of blood through zir veins. At the edges of zir mind ze was aware of zir racing pulse, of the tension that skirted around zir chest as zir breath _ached_ to quicken and ze held it in check. This wasn’t anticipation; it was something deeper, something feral. The apprehension stung so sharply that it excited.

By the smirk that played with the edges of his smile, Byakuran knew it. He lay his chin on his folded hands, leaned forward to look meaningfully at the sheet and up again into zir eyes. Were zir pupils dilated? Probably.

Ze knew passion, ze knew _impatience_ , but prudence was Mukuro’s best (and perhaps only) virtue. Rules had to be laid. Boundaries were freedom.

The checklist was short. One of zir tongue studs clicked against the back of zir teeth, moving restlessly in zir mouth as though waiting to explore Byakuran’s instead. He would taste like sugar.

Rather delicately, ze slid a stray lock of hair behind an ear and crossed zir knees. Every item on the list made zir heart skip a beat. The possibilities were endless, and they were _terrifying_.

The smirk had turned teasing while ze thought. Byakuran’s eyes twinkled knowingly as he played with the corner of the page. “You know, Mu-kun,” he purred, something breathy in his voice that made it sound like he was on the verge of arousal himself, “these are only the things that you said were hard limits before. But I get the impression that most of these aren’t things you really dislike, you know?”

Mukuro licked zir lips, suddenly aware that they had become uncomfortably dry. A lump in the back of zir throat made it hard to swallow. Byakuran was an intuitive person; he put things together much the same way that Mukuro did, he dug down deep till he hit their deepest core, and ze knew he wouldn’t stop till he hit the darkest secrets that no one was supposed to find. He laid bodies bare and stripped bones. He was powerful in the most intense meaning of the word, all without ever holding a weapon.

Now that hand that had been on the paper stroked the back of zir hand. Ze tried not to look at it.

“They’re things you’re afraid of.” It wasn’t a question. “They’re too intense to give to someone _casually_ , right?”

It struck eerily how he pinned down zir thoughts and wrestled them into coherence.

Ze was twirling zir hair now, finger spinning a distraction. There was something about that, calling it _giving_ instead of _doing_. It discomfited, but echoed true. Surrender meant giving. It meant all that Mukuro _took_ , in truth ze _gave_.

“But you’re special,” ze filled in, pleased at the wry tone in zir voice. This was a game, too. The intensity in these little discussions were as important as the scenes they preceded. “You’re saying that I should trust _you_ with them?”

“Aren’t I?” The response came immediately, complete with a blink that might even have been genuine. Byakuran gestured to the paper again. “That’s why we’re here.”

Ze could feel zir cheeks flushing. Was this a mistake? It was not only fair but to be expected that if Byakuran would take time and effort to take Mukuro into himself, give zir his collar, then ze would give back. To move forward, boundaries had to be lowered. This would be doomed from the beginning if ze couldn’t offer trust. Trust meant vulnerability. Vulnerability…

The pen in hand, Mukuro pulled the paper across the table and peered down again at the list. It was true, ze _wanted_ so many of these things, but they were too dangerous to let anyone have. Ze darted line to line, held the pen hovering in the air waiting to strike and destroy the barriers ze had so carefully tended.

 _Chastity_ … A checkmark.

 _Neglect play_ … Another check.

 _Forniphilia…_ A hesitation, and a swoop of ink.

 _Full sensory deprivation_ … Tick, tick, thinking. Ze bit the inside of zir cheek and checked it.

Vulnerability was _exciting_.

And Byakuran was smiling so that the corners of his eyes crinkled and, for an entirely different reason, Mukuro’s breath caught. “Thank you.”

Ze swallowed hard, looked down at the list again, and finally laid down the pen. There was more left off limits, more things to overcome, more trust to gain, more surrender to give. For now they had more than enough to keep them occupied.

“We still need to write the rest of the contract,” he hummed, taking the pen and looking back over the edited list. His eyes smiled, too. “About daily life, rules, expectations… Have you been thinking about it since you agreed to take my training collar, Mu-kun?”

For some reason, ze was as interested in that as the scenes and the sex. “Of course.” Ze tapped the linoleum floor with a toe, wondering again why Byakuran insisted on doing the negotiating at Mukuro’s apartment rather than his own study. So ze would feel more natural, or so that he was already in zir domain? “What living situation do you want?”

Being asked the first question seemed to delight him. He leaned back in the chair and hooked an arm on the nearby counter, claiming more space as though he had just earned claim to it. “I want you to keep your apartment, but I want you to intend to spend more time in my home. The apartment is for cooling down and having a space of your own, but not the default.”

Mukuro pursed zir lips. That was better than ze'd expected (“Well, you have to give up your apartment and live with me, of course! Silly Mu-kun!”) but nonetheless ze winced at the idea of giving up a good deal of zir solitude. That meant most of zir privacy—entirely the point. “I accept those terms.”

Ze hadn’t thought it was possible for Byakuran’s smile to get even larger. “Ne, Mu-kun, will you get me some sweets while I write it down?”

It was a blessing to stretch zir legs and move a little of the jitters out of zir system. On the way ze poured a couple of cups of tea, too, and set them on the table with a package of macaroons from the shop down the street. Somewhere along the way it had become a habit to keep something for Byakuran’s visits, even if he wasn’t supposed to come; at first it bothered zir to have become so attached to a single weekend Dom, but soon enough it was a refreshing routine. It was nice for Byakuran to hang around the morning after, gnoshing sweets and chatting over tea, even if it broke every rule in Mukuro’s unwritten book.

“Ooh, is that marzipan? You have good taste,” he laughed around munches. “So, do you have a schedule you use for the studio and your art?”

“Not particularly.” The tea swirled patterns around zir spoon. “I create what comes to mind, when I feel like it needs to be done. The studio is only downstairs.”

“How would you feel about moving it?” He asked innocently, perhaps too much so; the levity in his voice betrayed that he knew how heavy the question really was. His bites turned to nibbles.

Ze sipped the tea despite its steam. The art and supplies in zir studio was zir sacred space, only zir own, locked away from the world and made of Mukuro’s mind come to life with zir hands. Carefully, ze set down the cup.

“I…” It felt like ze had had an answer for a moment, but now ze didn’t know what to say. Byakuran looked quizzical. “I would be willing to have a second studio to work in, but I’m going to keep this one.”

At first ze wondered if he’d be angry. Byakuran went blank, impossible to read, running his thumb over his lips to catch any crumbs and licking them off. He quirked a brow.

“That’s fair. I just want you to be able to make things without running back here whenever the mood strikes.”

In Byakuran’s home, ze knew. In his power, under his control. If Mukuro gave him zir studio, ze would be giving him the ability to destroy zir utterly. Perhaps he wanted that power. No, ze knew he did, but he would wait for it. He would wait _forever—_ because he was patient, but so was Mukuro.

“We’ll have to figure out what you’ll keep at my home, too,” Byakuran mused aloud. “Some clothes, of course…but I’d like to buy you some new clothes, too, just for when you’re there.”

As far as ze knew he at least had good taste (and extravagant, too), and the idea of being given a new wardrobe was erotic in all sorts of ways. “I’ll pack light. You have room for a few things.” With an e-reader, ze didn’t even need a magazine rack. Other than cologne and hygiene items, ze didn’t have much to bring. “And will we keep our toy collections separate, or would you like to assimilate mine?”

He hummed into his tea at that, looking at the hallway in the direction of the mentioned cabinet. “I have most of what you do,” Byakuran said, looking thoughtful, “but we could have a lot of fun with the things I don’t. I’ll go through them all and pick the things to bring with us.”

Was that a wink? Mukuro hid a smirk of zir own. “Of course. Are we going to decide the rules here, too, or wait until we’re in your estate?”

“Well, I was _going_ to wait, you know, set the scene, make it romantic, get your heart racing…” This time he definitely winked. Mukuro bit zir lip. “But I’m too impatient. I made a rough draft already.”

Ze felt zir brows rise while he pulled it from his pocket and unfolded it on the table. He was excited, too, wasn’t he? Somehow ze forgot, if only for a second, that this was as momentous to him as it was to Mukuro.

The list was surprisingly well-categorised. House rules, said one column, Collar rules, and on to more. Running through it with a finger skimming the page, Mukuro winced several times. _No self-pleasure_ , wasn’t that its own form of chastity? Ze couldn't find it in zirself to be surprised.

Another gave zir pause. “I’ll be doing the cooking?”

“Well, you’re a _wonderful_ cook,” he responded airily, “and even a pet needs _something_ productive to do. Obviously when you’re not home there’s nothing for it, and sometimes I’ll want to spoil you, but I want you to do handle most meals.”

Nibbling zir lip, ze read further. Though not ideal, only one chore couldn’t be too much to ask. _Available by phone at all times_ chafed a little, but again, it was to be expected. And another—drawing a bath every evening, that was agreeable, especially since ze did it for zirself most nights already.

“The rules assure that I only have you as a partner,” Mukuro said, treading with caution and looking up through zir eyelashes to watch the reaction. He seemed pleasantly curious about where ze was going. “Will you also…practise fidelity?”

For some reason, that felt important. Mukuro had never been monoamorous in zir life, and never been expected to remain faithful to only one partner, though that might have had something to do with never having a serious partner to begin with. If Byakuran would have the presence in zir life as the _only_ person that ze could see, ze didn’t think ze could settle for being one of many. Was that jealousy? What an alien feeling.

But Byakuran laughed like the bastard he was. “For now. We’ll work out some of the kinks later and see about swinging, maybe. Right now? We’ve been tested and we're going to have a fluid bond.”

Mukuro jolted, almost spilling zir half-cup of tea, and hurriedly took a drink to avoid choking. Ze should have seen that coming, but it came as a shock regardless. Condoms had never been anything but a given in any of zir encounters, and now that ze thought about it ze wasn’t sure that ze had ever had sex without one. Did that make this some sort of first time? Wasn't that supposed to be special? No, that was too whimsical. “That’s…fine.” It _was_ fine, right? Was that apprehension or excitement that made zir cheeks go hot? “I agree to the house rules. There’s nothing I want to add right now.”

“Mhm. And we can always go back and make changes.” He was enjoying Mukuro’s reactions like a cat licking cream. Byakuran took his time on another cookie while ze continued to the next column.

 _No munches or clubs without Byakuran_. Obvious. He’d probably want to show off his new sub in training, anyway. _Use judgment when disclosing relationship._ Now that one was interesting. Ze indicated it with a raised brow.

After he took his time chewing, Byakuran swirled his cup of tea. “People are going to ask about my collar. Personally, I would like you to be open about it, but there’s always the odd situation.”

Right. The child that pointed and asked awkward questions, the churchgoing policeman looking for a reason to give a fine. Ze was used to drawing stares, not questions, but it was good to know what to say if one came. For some reason ze liked hearing Byakuran say _“my_ collar,” not _yours_ , that he wasn’t giving it to Mukuro–he was putting it on Mukuro, giving zir the privilege of wearing it. Why was that such a satisfying thought?

Back to the list. _Don’t flirt for favours without permission_. Ze made an indignant noise that made Byakuran’s eyes crinkle again.

“Oh, please, Mu-kun. Just let me in on it. I love to watch you wrapping people around your little finger, you know?”

…Passable. It was just like him to appeal to zir exhibitionist streak. “Fine. I agree to the outside rules.”

And the collar rules. _Remove only for cleaning and bathing_ , fine. _Clean regularly_ , of course. _Do not cover unless made necessary by weather_. Ze wasn’t sure ze could cover a collar anyway, though the restriction was irritating nonetheless. “I agree.”

“Then the last section.” Byakuran leaned on his hands again, momentarily leaving the sweets be. “This is the most fluid. It’s only some of the things that you should expect…and that I’ll expect of you.”

Numbly ze nodded. _Wear clothes when instructed_. So…being dressed up. Playing doll? That bothered zir less than ze had expected. If ze didn’t like the choice they could work it out at the time. _Dance and entertain_. Another obvious one. Byakuran had a thing for strip teases.

 _Accept piercings_ . So far they’d only had fun with play piercing in bed, and Byakuran _had_ assured zir that he was certified in body piercing, so why not? Ze’d never had someone else decide zir body modifications before. It sounded kind of fun. “What about the ones I already have?”

“I know you like to change them around a lot,” he snickered. The answer came quickly; it sounded like he’d already thought it through. “You’re welcome to. Add, remove, whatever you like. The ones I give you, though, are up to me. You’re not allowed to change them without my permission.”

Zir hackles rose a minutiae, but lowered again. This was a training collar. Piercings were the least of the powers that ze was giving him. “And…the rituals it says here? What sort of things do you have in mind?”

There it was. That predatory glint in his eyes that Byakuran got when Mukuro was on zir knees and he was devising the best way to make zir cry. Zir mouth went dry and, sitting still, ze didn’t break eye contact while Byakuran leaned forward and closed the distance between them.

“We’ll negotiate _those_ once everything else is settled, Mu-kun,” he crooned with saccharine breath. From six inches away it was still warm. “We can’t reveal all of the surprises so soon, can we? I have a few wonderful ideas that deserve their due attention.”

Somewhere along the line, ze’d begun to hold zir breath. With thin lips ze broke their stare and looked back at the sheet. The last thing…

 _A credit card will be provided after a satisfactory amount of time has passed_.

For what? Zir foot tapped the floor. Byakuran was made of money; he oozed decadence in place of sweat. Anything Mukuro could spend wouldn’t make a dent on his accounts, but nevertheless being given a personal credit card seemed…especially intimate?

 _You’re going to wear his collar_ , ze reminded zirself. _You_ want _it to be intimate_.

“I…agree.”

“Do you want to add anything so far, Mu-kun?”

“No.”

“Then sign on the bottom and come with me.”

That was right. They were going to go to Byakuran’s home right after this, for the final step. The collaring ceremony. Informal and improvised, guided only by their instincts, but a ceremony nonetheless. The Old Guard at the traditional clubs would be clicking their tongues.

“Give me the limits list again first.”

Curious, Byakuran laid it atop the contract.

Mukuro looked at it with narrowed eyes. It had been written initially for weekend play, intended only to be short-term, with no care for soft or hard limits or any of the nuances surrounding them. In a single swift motion ze tore it into two, and with another into four. Byakuran blinked, looking a little alarmed, and popped a macaroon between his lips, presumably to stop himself from making a comment.

“A serious relationship deserves a serious list.” That sounded almost romantic, given the context, but ze bit back the awkward feeling that rushed through zir and reached for the notebook that Byakuran had been making notes in. Two columns would work, right? Soft limits and hard limits, and they could add any details on another page. After a moment of consideration, ze blocked part of the next page for yellow lights, the things that ze would agree to but which required special consideration.

That seemed to pique his interest. “Ooh. So we’ll move the limits you crossed off to the yellows, then?”

“Yes.” Ze was already writing, bothered by zir rushed scrawl but anxious to get everything in zir mind onto the page before it fled. The yellow lights were filling up faster than ze had expected, and even the soft limits. The hard…well, it took a moment to realise that there were far fewer than ze’d thought. With enough time and trust, maybe they could work their way up to almost anything.

Mukuro paused halfway down. “Then if we’re fluid bonded—”

“We can play with blood. I know.”

Surprised, ze looked back up, only to be greeted by a toothy grin that would have looked more at home on a wolf. Something crept up zir back, only for zir to realise that it was a shiver working along zir spine. Why were they taking so much time again? Ze wanted nothing more in that moment than to move to the bedroom and be tied in any position that man could imagine.

The list. Byakuran glanced at it pointedly, making no secret of enjoying the way that Mukuro was staring. Damn. Ze tucked zir head back down and started writing again.

Mummification moved to yellow; after a long moment of thought, so did sounding and CBT, but ze tossed Byakuran a careful look to make sure that he noted just how _yellow_ it was. By sheer reflex ze began to write _watersports_ into the hard limits, only to pause and, with much consideration, placed it instead into soft. It didn’t hurt to leave it open if ze ever decided it wasn’t so bad after all.

“I won’t write it down,” ze murmured, “but I don’t like to be suspended upside-down. Anything else is fine.”

“Fair enough. You’re not into cupping, are you, Mu-kun? You’ve never brought it up.”

Ze waved a hand distractedly. “I don’t care about it. Whatever you like.” With a strike of a thought, Mukuro glanced back up. “The mummification—not with water. One or the other.” Ze wasn’t entirely sure why ze’d even thought of that possibility, considering ze’d hardly played with either, but the idea made zir shudder. As an afterthought ze wrote that down, too. “And sensory deprivation.”

Enemas went into the hard limits, then a note that ze would use them zirself whenever necessary. “With the new monoamory, what about exhibitionism?”

“ _Obviously_.” It was more a chirp than a word. Byakuran was playing with the last few cookies, chasing them around the tray with his fingertip. “Maybe I’ll even let someone fuck you, with condoms, of course.”

Of course, he said. Ze was too distracted to imagine the possibilities. Caging was a soft limit, and ze hovered over the yellow column again. “I told you before that degradation and humiliation were fine. If we’re going to be mostly cohabitational and emotionally involved, don’t overdo it.”

“I’m not one for toilet brush gags, anyway.”

Mukuro cringed. That was a joke. Either way, ze quickly added any related ideas to the list of nos.

“You told me that you don’t take pictures of your face, right?” Byakuran piped up without warning. “I want some. I won’t show them to anyone, but I want to have some on my phone.”

Ze’d forgotten all about that. It was true that ze’d never taken a picture of zir face, and ze had stopped anyone else who’d tried. Actually, ze’d never been quite sure why, and had fudged witty responses when people asked, but it had remained a mainstay no matter its confusion. Something deep inside zir still balked at the idea, but was it really so much to ask for? He saw Mukuro all the time; having photos wouldn’t change anything. “As long as they aren’t shared…then yes. Warn me first. We’ll work our way up to candids.” Maybe never, but it was fun to say.

Sleep deprivation went under the hard no’s, and then bathroom control with it.

“By the way, Mu-kun, you’re good with your fingers, so how about massages?” Byakuran’s smile was a little too sweet, but luckily for him he’d hit on a good thing.

“If you have massage oil, I’ll show you tonight,” ze purred.

It seemed for a second that he was going to give an equally playful retort, but instead Byakuran blinked. “Oh! I just had a thought. I have another rule to put down. You have to swallow.”

The…oil?

Oh. _Oh_.

Voice, don’t tremble. “…Agreed.”


	2. .2 louder than bells

"Ne, Mu-kun, what about your face?"

Mukuro paused and looked quizzical, the pen stopping mid-word. The flow of words had petered out to a sprinkle of hard thinking and fitful writing and ze was considering setting it aside to come back to later.

Without cookies, Byakuran sat fiddling with his phone, presumably checking business while he piped up with suggestions and questions about what Mukuro wrote. "You were really strict about your face. Nothing but slapping—no abrasions, no bruises, no needles, no lip-biting—"

"No breaking skin," ze corrected quietly. The back of the pen tapped on the table. For a weekend Dom in topspace, the face was a very tempting target, easy to mark, with long effects to enjoy afterwards; in a 24/7 relationship, though, he'd have all the time in the world to mark whatever he liked, so what was the need to defend zir face?

Nonetheless, the idea of walking around with a black eye or a split lip wasn't very attractive. It would be erotic, for sure, wearing marks where everyone could see, and where no one knew their origins, but ze rather valued zir face, after all. Carefully ze wrote it into the yellow lights. "A little is fine, I suppose, but not anything too noticeable."

Was that disappointment? Byakuran slid his phone into his pocket and leaned on the table. "That's enough for now. I'll get us more tea."

They were on the third cup already. Mukuro sighed. " _Grazie_. There's more in the pantry."

Without thinking about it ze had started doodling on an empty page. Byakuran snickered while he set out their drinks. "Are you running out of inspiration, Mu-kun? You know we can go back and fill in more later if you feel like this is enough."

"Hm." That was an idea, actually. They had never done lists of what they expected before, instead going with the flow of the evening. Looking at it that way, it was lucky that they were so compatible. "Shouldn't you be making lists, too?"

"My limits? It would be too short and they're all in your hard limits anyhow." Byakuran shrugged, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm extraordinarily flexible, you know."

( _Like the time with the swing and the—_ not that kind of flexible.)

Ze cleared zir throat. "The things that you want, then. I'm going to do the same."

Interest sparked, Byakuran set down the cup of tea he'd been stirring, eyes on Mukuro. "Other than the things we've already done, I assume?"

"Yes." Ze took a second to drink to work out the words. "And things that you want to try. There has to be something you haven't done before, after all."

There was that sly smile. "Exceedingly _few_ things, Mu-kun...but I can come up with some fun things to explore. If I tell you that I want to do something, does that mean you'll be a good pet and give it to me?"

Heat gathered at the tips of zir ears. Why was it so easy for him to get under zir skin? "I do like to have an ace up my sleeve."

In the end, to avoid tearing pages from the notebook, they sat side by side and wrote on each side. Left-handed Byakuran took the left, Mukuro the right, and ze hoped that the close quarters wouldn't make it too difficult to concentrate. This was the best way to collaborate, wasn't it?

But Byakuran was stalling with his tea, evidently waiting for Mukuro to make the first move. The things ze wanted—what exactly _did_ ze want? Everything that came to mind, all of the fantasies that ze kept safely tucked away in a corner of zir mind reserved only for zirself, were devilishly intimidating. Divulging the secrets ze'd kept was dangerous.

Vulnerability. That was the goal. One step at a time towards vulnerability.

Before ze could rethink and come up with a reason to stop, ze started writing. _Primal_. Byakuran made a surprised noise behind his cup of tea, and Mukuro shot him a look, but he looked rather pleased.

As if to reward the icebreaker, he set to his page, too. _PTDC_. What was…?

Pursuit, takedown, and capture. It only took a moment to puzzle out the anagram, and another to let it sink in. Mukuro drew a slow breath, uncomfortably aware that zir pulse had begun to race. The labyrinthine Gesso estate would be the perfect place for a chase.

Ze could imagine it, crossing the house, moving outside; it would be better at dusk, when the shadows were long and every sound echoed. Con-noncon was one thing, takedown another level entirely. Ze hadn't expected to ever give that power to anyone, leaving it on the bookshelf of fantasy like a storybook to dip into at bedtime.

Sometime while ze considered, Byakuran had taken the opportunity to lean in and sneak an arm around the back of the chair. His hand was cool on the back of zir neck, but his breath on zir ear was hot. The gasp left zir lips before ze could stop it. His lips on the shell of zir ear were gentle, but there was something beneath the touch, a hint of violence beneath the surface that had Mukuro closing zir eyes and leaning into his hand.

The anticipation was building to a roar, demanding action. All the possibilities at their fingertips, and they were making _lists_. Byakuran's lips touched the corner of zir jaw, trailed kisses down zir chin.  

Zir lips parted; ze slid a hand along Byakuran's stomach, felt the muscles there move in response. Ze waited.

And waited.

Alarmed, Mukuro opened zir eyes again, too aware of the way that his thumb was stroking the nape of zir neck. He was looking at the damned notebook again. "What are you doing?"

"Oh? I'm thinking about what else I want." His smile said he knew. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing, and he loved wrapping Mukuro up and making zir sit pretty and needy. "Aren't you?"

A long, slow breath. Mukuro closed zir eyes again, focused on slowing zir pulse. Could he feel it racing under his hand, pumping through zir veins the blood that was gathering everywhere ze didn't want it to be? Ze shifted uncomfortably on the chair, trying to extricate zirself from his touch, and cast a sharp glare at the smirk that it earned.

"I'm going to take a break," ze gritted, but a hand on zir wrist stopped zir from rising.

"No you're not." Why was he pulling zir in closer, till they were inches away? Ze felt his breath on zir lips. Byakuran's smile must have been stolen from an imp because the sight of it made a whimper gather in the back of zir throat to be firmly squashed by a resolve that was slipping by the second. "What better time to put it all out on the table than when your mind's going wild, Mu-kun? Tell me what you want. It's a game all its own!"

The frustration was going to tear zir in two, but in the logical parts of zir mind (which seemed to be rather far away) ze saw the sense in it. It might even be fun, working each other up and seeing what ideas they got. Right? _Right_?

It was innocuous at first. Straining for coherent thought and anywhere to look but at _him_ , Mukuro cast around, glancing into the living room and then the kitchen. How did ze quantify the specifics of what ze wanted when the very point was _anything that Byakuran could throw at zir?_ Zir gaze landed on the macaroon carton, now in the trash can, at a little picture of the cookies being dipped in chocolate—

Ze wasn't thinking. Shaking off Byakuran's hold on zir wrist, ze seized a pen and wrote _Foodplay_. There was hardly a pause before ze went on. _Chocolate sauce. Hot fudge._ Would that work almost like wax? The next line— _Body worship_. The images in zir mind, imagined sensations, were as bad as the heat of Byakuran's arm around zir shoulders, the way he watched so raptly, wet his lips. He was hungry, they were both so _hungry_.

 _Choking. Abrasions. Breaking skin._ Ze'd refused that before. Impact play was fun, bruises were good, but it had stopped before there was blood. Ze wanted to bleed. _Fear play_. What was more vulnerable than fear? That was hard to write, and ze wondered if ze ought to cross it out. No, keep moving. _Speech restrictions_. _Hidden play._

 _Pain_. The word was darker than the rest, carved into the paper with force, ink caked onto the paper. The sight of it made zir lay down the pen, abruptly aware of all ze'd written. Ze couldn't take any of it back. Byakuran was looking keenly at the page, eyes alight with something terrifying, and there was nothing that would make him forget seeing any of it. There was no escape this time.

Ze didn't expect him to start writing, too. His hand was steady, sweeping letters that somehow managed to look cocky. _Foodplay,_ he wrote. _Worship. Asphyxiation_. _Blood_. _Edge play_. _Forced mutism. Discrete exhibitionism._

Was he just following Mukuro's list? Zir face felt hotter and hotter.

 _Pain_.

For a moment it seemed like he'd stop there, with a list that mirrored Mukuro's almost exactly. His hand kept moving.

 _Forced masturbation. Performance. Predicament bondage. Orgasm denial_.

He wasn't stopping.

 _Desperation. Artistic bondage._ It was getting harder to catch zir breath. _Maintenance_. _Modeling. Exhaustion._ The images flitted through zir mind as fast as he was writing them down. _Nyotaimori. Over the knee spanking. Objectification._ Zir chest squeezed.

The writing came abruptly to a pause. Byakuran glanced out the corner of his eye at zir, checking zir reactions. Zir throat had gone dry. Under the table zir toes curled against the cold linoleum. The texture of zir clothes was stifling, every sensation too strong, overpowering any hope of reasonable thought.

That was the look in his eyes. That was the heat in Byakuran's hand and the heaviness in the air, the deft way that he was stringing Mukuro along, teasing and baiting zir, denying any satisfaction. He was in domspace. He'd been in domspace the entire time.

Ze was skirting the edges of subspace, too, barely holding on. The air was stifling. Opening up and finishing the checklist, moving onto the collaring ceremony, deep in endorphins—what could have been more appropriate than this?

Hesitation would do nothing but stall the inevitable. In one fell swoop ze signed zir name.

 _Rokudou Mukuro_.

He answered immediately with a flourish of a signature.

 _Byakuran Gesso_.

Byakuran's hand found zir cheek, pulled Mukuro around to look at him. He looked deadly. "You'll never say my name again. You call me _Master_."

Numbly ze nodded, mind awhirl in the things to come. "Yes...Master."

It was done.

 


	3. .3 sweeter than heaven

The first thing Byakuran did as they left zir apartment was take the band out of Mukuro's hair and leave it hanging loose around zir shoulders. Mukuro made no comment, only locked the door behind them and started down the steps.

His car waited at the curb beside one of Mukuro's motorcycles. Crossing town in Byakuran's vehicle and leaving zir bike would put zir at a disadvantage, but ze discarded the thought immediately; ze would hardly be able to drive in this dreamy state, anyway, startling at any touch and uncomfortably aware of each and every sensation. Byakuran's hand had never actually left zir hair, and it was a struggle not to lean into it and invite his lips.

When Byakuran opened the car door and held it open for zir, ze paused, only to shiver at the possessive edge in the way that he moved. Somehow he managed to make even courtesy a powerplay.

This was what ze was entering. This was the contract that Mukuro had signed. Ze could tear it up at any time, renege on the agreement, but for what? For fear? Ze knew real fear, knew what it was to live in terror, the kind of danger that might have taken zir mind any day if it didn't take zir life first.

Maybe that was why normal life was boring. The longer that Mukuro went without a rush of adrenaline and the cold touch of peril, the less genuine the world began to feel.

It was present now. Ze couldn't help but suspect that the world would feel real for quite a while.

The notebook was in zir lap. Mukuro stroked its cover absentmindedly, ran zir fingertips over the rough texture rubbed into the leather. Byakuran had only one hand on the wheel, the other lying on the armrest between them and toying with the ends of zir hair. The little bit of pressure, not quite a pull, had zir hovering between stimulation and unfulfillment, frustration growing. That was doubtless the point.

No words were appropriate. Even Byakuran was quiet, the corners of his eyes crinkled with pleasure, occasionally glancing sideways to see Mukuro's flush. At a loss for how to occupy zirself, ze opened the notebook and read through what they'd written at zir table. Ze'd made a point never to live with rules or restrictions, only to pursue what ze wanted, without care for social mores or accepted behaviour. Was it hypocrisy to accept them now, even if ze wanted them? Was it weakness?

He seemed to sense that Mukuro was beginning to edge out of bliss and into irritation. Byakuran pulled zir hair a little bit harder, snapping zir out of zir line of thought, and without looking away from the road wrapped zir hair around his hand all the way up to zir scalp, effectively trapping zir into his palm. "I'm going to take every inch of you, you know, Mu-kun?" he purred, his thumb gently tracing the shell of Mukuro's ear.

He was a predator playing with its meal. Ze tried to look out the window. Byakuran's warm hand and the cold air conditioner left zir skin feverish.

Zir lips parted to respond, but by the time that ze had the breath to speak, ze'd already forgotten what to say.

The words on the page blurred together. _Worship_.

_(His hand is in zir hair. Ze has to ask permission to take him into zir mouth, murmur thanks, hold him in zir hands and taste him gently, brush him with zir lips, scrape zir fingernails so carefully over his scrotum. He sighs, leans back on his free hand, licks his lips, brushes the hair out of Mukuro's face to better see while ze massages him with zir tongue and moans gratitude for letting zir touch. Thank you, Master, for letting me please you.)_

Zir throat was so dry it was sore. _Objectification. Edgeplay_.

_(Saliva drips down zir chin through the gag that holds zir lips spread and mouth open wide. Zir thighs tremble under a wandering hand, forced high by a strappado. Leather encases zir arms from shoulder to fingertips, the end held high behind zir back and forcing zir bent over double, unable to rise, unable to fall. Ze can't see behind the blindfold that knots and pulls in zir hair. Ze can't signal around the gag, can't beg, can't cry. Every strike of the paddle makes zir shoulders ache, and when he finally starts to fuck zir, it's fast and hard, pulling strangled moans from zir but paying them no mind. He comes before ze does, pulls out, and starts to hit zir again.)_

Byakuran's fingers had curled against zir scalp, tiny prickles of pain. The notebook hid the bulge in zir pants, but zir pulse had begun to race as ze stared down at the lists. He knew. It was like its own form of exhibitionism. Ze _wanted_ him to know.

 _(Ze's bound by leather and metal that bites into zir wrists and ties them to the headboard, and it's silk sheets tangled beneath zir, giving zir heels no traction as they flail against the mattress and ze howls around a ball gag that takes up most of zir mouth. Ze can't see his grin, but ze can_ feel _it, hot against zir like the hand wrapped around zir cock, pumping, rubbing, drawing zir just to the edge only to stop, over and over. His other hand pulls ruthlessly on the chain that connects the wicked metal clamps on zir nipples, a tug of the chain, a tug of zir cock, and he's already fucked zir thighs, and ze can feel his semen drying there, can feel bruises from his hips forming on zir legs, so close so close—)_

 _(Metal holds zir wrists together and zir legs apart, flesh holds zir hips as high as they'll go, chest and knees grinding the sheets, blinded and gritting zir teeth in a pillow and biting back yells with each thrust. He wraps his hand in zir hair, uses it like reins to pull zir head back, make zir audible, make zir cry out every time his hips snap forward like a spring and push zir deeper into the bed. Flesh clapping is as loud as zir voice, and the heat is rising, the pit of zir stomach feels like a tangle of electricity prodding outward, zipping over the surface of zir skin, making zir fingertips tingle and the connection of their bodies a circuit of heat that's going to overflow, it wants_ out _it wants_ out _it wants_ )

"If you come before I even touch you I'm going to going to whip your ass until it can't be fucked for a week." The sound of Byakuran's saccharine sing-song shocked zir out of the reverie, dragging zir back to the surface to remember the car and the page under zir hand.

Ze couldn't tell if he was angry or playful. Either way, he was serious. Quietly, Mukuro closed the notebook. His hand had untangled from zir hair and was instead stroking through it, smoothing any knots he'd created, pulling just enough to make sure that ze couldn't lose zirself again in thought.

Between the tightness in zir chest and the lump in zir throat, ze could hardly breathe. Zir lips ached to touch his fingertips, skim teeth over his skin, dip zir tongue between his fingers and into his palm. Would he taste like the candy he smelled of?

Ze'd know soon. Soon. Not soon enough, but soon.

By the time they pulled up to the gate and Byakuran input the passcode into his phone, ze'd given in and crossed zir legs in an attempt to squash the unwelcome but persistent (and a little exciting) arousal behind zir zipper. A keen look his way didn't tell zir whether or not Byakuran was in the same situation, too, but whether he was hard or not, he was most definitely aroused. His pupils were dilated, he licked his lips every couple of minutes; his fingers tapped on the steering wheel and there was a single drop of sweat on the back of his neck, dripping from his hair, inviting, too easy to lean across and lick off, forbidden temptation.

He parked the car around front of the manor, only steps from the stairs to the grand entrance. Ze'd only been in the Gesso estate a couple of times, and this was the first that ze didn't pause to take in its intimidating size; instead Mukuro only watched its owner, held the notebook tightly in zir lap and stepped out of the car when he opened the door.

A dozen different kinds of orchids crowded around the drive, leaned in as if to encroach on the pavement and reclaim the soil beneath. Byakuran wrapped his arm tightly around Mukuro's waist, took the notebook with his other hand, smiled brightly as ze tugged zir jacket down to restore zir modesty. "Are you hungry, Mu-kun?" he purred as the door swung open for them, held by a diminutive man with downcast eyes.

"No." Starving, but not for food. The arm around zir was stifling; Byakuran's side was burning hot. Zir instincts said to step away and search for composure, zir urges to lean in and push him against a wall in the open foyer, and stuck in the middle, ze begrudgingly followed along with his guidance. "Where are we going to go?"

"Where do you think, Mu-kun?" That might have been subtle teasing in his voice, an amusement that said _I see how off-balance you are, and I'm going to knock you off of your feet_. "My bedroom. Isn't it the most appropriate place?"

His fingers dug into zir hip, slid under the top of zir pants, made zir bite back a gasp. Zir heels clicked uncomfortably loud on the tile, only to be muffled on the carpeted stairs, and there was a distinct floral scent permeating the air. Orchids? It was heady, whatever it was, clouding zir already addled mind like smoke. Come to think of it, had ze been in his bedroom before? Ze'd been in the playroom, which had its own bed, twice now, but ze thought this would be the first time. Should that really have felt so momentous?

Past lustrous paintings of still lifes and classical torture methods side by side with Roman busts and columns, they walked. Down a wide corridor and around a corner, and ze realised with a little bit of awe that the building had a courtyard in the middle, and Byakuran's suite was hidden in the depths around the other side. They wound through the manor, past dozens of doors and around turns ze had to fight to memorise, and finally Byakuran stopped outside a set of double doors complete with an electronic lock.

Ze'd suspected that Byakuran was a man of privacy, but watching him press his thumb against the pad and wipe his print off of it to prevent it being copied, ze realised how true that was. He protected what was his, guarded it jealously, hoarded everything he valued tight in his grip. He was going to care for Mukuro that same way.

The door clicked open and he swept them inside. Mukuro blinked against the dimness, but Byakuran snapped his fingers and ambient light flooded the room while the door locked again behind them.

"What do you think, Mu-kun?"

Zir first thought was that it was nothing like ze had expected. It was smaller, for one—still large, but not the echoing cavern that ze'd pictured. It was white, entirely white, from the walls to the furniture, and shockingly modern against the decadence of the rest of the manor. The scent of orchids was even stronger here, with flowers set on several surfaces, and ze noticed with a little curiosity the lotuses that floated in a bowl in the middle of a table. Had ze even told him zir favourite flower?

Most importantly, though, and most interestingly, was the bed. It loomed tall and large, bigger than any bed ze'd seen, with sturdy posts and bars that suggested it was supposed to be covered in canvas. The frame offered a plethora of nooks and crannies to use for ties, and no doubt that had been the intention.

"I think that you're toying with me," ze murmured, turning a sharp look at Byakuran, and he smiled in return and set down the notebook.

"Is that so, Mu-kun? I never thought you'd be so difficult right off the bat like this." He slipped his fingers into zir jacket, slipped it off zir shoulders; Mukuro moved to take it off, reached for Byakuran, but he put a finger on zir lips and caught zir wrist. "No, no, pet. You're not going to give yourself to me—you've already done that. Now I'm going to take what's mine."

Ze inhaled sharply. Fingers twitching, aching to tangle into his clothes, ze lowered zir arms and waited. He took his time, looked Mukuro over, drank zir in with every item removed. Zir jacket was tossed over a chair with a long, appreciative pause while he raked his gaze along Mukuro's shape, hovered at the bulge in zir pants and smirked. Mukuro shifted, intensely aware of every glance, wrestling with zir own body to stand still and be quiet. His fingers burned brands in zir stomach when they pulled up zir shirt, tugged it over zir shoulders and dropped it to the floor.

The air was both chilly and stifling. Zir nipples prickled, hardening around their piercings. Byakuran took even longer looking this time, and somehow, with zir chest heaving and sweat threatening to spill, it was getting easier to stand still and feel him watch. The heat from his eyes was becoming pleasant in itself, the feeling of his fingertips digging deep into something that was almost satisfying, so close to bliss.

Carefully he guided Mukuro to sit, kneeled between his legs, drew the zippers of zir boots down one at a time, and set the boots aside. Zir toes curled into the plush carpet and ze leaned back, drawing a deep breath like a sigh when he unbuckled zir belt and popped the button. The final zipper, the satisfaction of the metallic sound of its teeth opening and the feeling of his breath as Byakuran hooked his fingers into belt loops and began to slide them down over zir hips, zir thighs, over zir knees, zir calves, and then zir feet were free and ze half-lay naked, digging zir nails into the arms of the chair and squirming at the cool air and the sharp gaze on zir uncovered erection.

"Come here, pet," he murmured, drawing zir by the hand back onto zir feet, giving zir time to steady zir legs. "Come here."

Ze hadn't noticed the full-length mirror when they entered. It faced the bed, set between a cabinet and a dresser, wide enough for zir to see zirself and Byakuran standing behind zir. He looked satisfied as he brushed zir hair back off zir shoulders and plucked up a box that had laid on the bed.

This was it. This was the moment.

He laid the box on the dresser and opened it.

Mukuro's throat caught. It was simple, nothing like the overwrought piece of inconvenience that ze'd been anticipating. The collar shone silver, a smooth band a couple inches wide that caught the light and brilliantly reflected it back. Byakuran lifted it gingerly, held it in his hands for a moment for Mukuro to look, and raised it to zir neck.

"I lay this collar on your neck," he purred, a raspy undertone in his voice, "as a symbol of our contract. For as long as you are mine, you will have my collar."

It was cold. Mukuro gasped when it first touched zir skin, shivered as it was fastened at zir nape. Ze raised a hand to touch the ring attached to the front, nestled in the hollow of zir collarbone. There was something ze needed to say; Byakuran stood waiting, watching Mukuro's face in the mirror, admiring the way that it fit snugly to zir throat, obviously expecting some sort of response.

Slowly, ze exhaled. "Thank you," ze whispered. Pause. "Master."

The reflection in the mirror wasn't enough warning for the arms that wrapped around zir from behind and pulled zir close. Byakuran's lips pressed hard into zir neck over the collar, his hands wandered across zir chest and over zir stomach, he breathed soft sighs into zir ear and dug his teeth into the lobe. "Forget ceremony," he hissed. "Who do you belong to, pet?"

Ze could hardly breathe. Head tilted as far to the side as ze could stretch to bare zir neck to him, an offer he gladly took. Mukuro dug zir fingertips into his arms and leaned back into him. Even through his clothes he was burning. _"You."_ The word felt like a moan. His. _His_. His fingernails left red lines on zir ribs, sparking a slow burn that smouldered ruthlessly between zir hips, drove any other thought away. Ze gave whispery moans to every pinch, shuddered when he slid around beside zir and bent to suckle one of zir nipples, leaned into him with all of zir weight, ready to fall if he let go.

The feeling in zir feet was fleeing, every sensation focusing only on the scorching touches of Byakuran's hands, of his lips, of his tongue, the sound of his breath, the strength in his arms and the weightlessness of being held. Ze felt like ze could float, if he were holding on. _"Please,"_ ze crooned, digging fingers into his chest, seeking everything he would offer.

(Something was wrong. That didn't sound like zir voice.)

(Why did ze sound so far off? Ze was in freefall. Mukuro needed to find zir feet.)

This was dangerous. This was subspace. Mukuro shuddered, tried to come up for air; ze fought for coherence, took an unsteady step back, but was caught by a firm hand and drawn into Byakuran's hold. "I know what you're doing, Mu-kun," he whispered, lips moving against zir ear. "You have to fight before you can give in, right? But you already have. You're _mine_. Relax. Fall."

No. Awareness hit zir like a splash of freezing water, driving a shiver down zir spine, and ze started to move away. "This is a mistake," ze hissed, rubbing at zir neck where the hair had begun to stand. "Forget it. Take off the collar. Delete my number." Almost stumbling on feet that didn't want to take zir weight, ze pulled hard against his grip, gave a frustrated keen. "Let me _go!_ "

Ze wasn't sure how ze had gotten there, but it was a blur and zir back was against the wall and Byakuran was looming with his arms trapping zir there, and Mukuro was panting, and the room was spinning. Was this the endorphin rush? Was this what it was like to come down?

"If you want to go," Byakuran whispered with something deadly in his voice, staring so _sharply_ into Mukuro's eyes, "if you want to go, Mu-kun, say the safeword."

The world skipped and missed a beat.

The safeword. Ze could say the safeword. It was on zir tongue already, ready to be hurled like a weapon, tossed into Byakuran's face. Ze hadn't forgotten the safeword. _Datura. Datura._

So why couldn't ze bring zirself to say it?

Zir knees trembled, threatened to give out. Mukuro sank back against the wall, panting, face turned away from Byakuran's eyes. There was shame burning zir now instead of his touch. Ze knew it now, this was weakness, after all.

Ze flinched from the fingers on zir cheek, expecting a slap, but they were achingly gentle as they traced zir jaw and slowly, ever so slowly, drew zir head back around. Mukuro bit back a whimper when he leaned his forehead against zirs, touched the tips of their noses.

"Relax," he whispered. The knife was gone. In its place was a quiet reassurance, the same strength that was in his arms when they wrapped around Mukuro. "Relax, pet. You can fall. When you fall, I'll catch you."

Zir fingers were shaky when they clutched his shirt. Still struggling for breath, ze leaned zir face into his neck, drank in the scent of his musk. The collar lay heavy on zir neck. What had ze done?

"...Yes. Master."

He kissed zir forehead, zir nose, zir lips. "Good pet. Lie down. Surrender."

What _was_ surrender? Ze didn't think ze had ever done it before.

His hand stroked zir cheek. "It's alright, love. I'll teach you."


	4. .4 hotter than hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be adding more, probably, in the form of oneshots. This is just shameless smut, let's be real.

Maybe there was something broken inside of Mukuro.

In bondage ze found security. The tighter that ze was tied, the more stable that ze felt; everything fractured was bound back in place, if only for a moment, and kissed with leather lips. Ze hadn't realised that being whole in chains meant being shattered free.

Now and again ze tested the cuffs on zir wrists, yanked and twisted at them to reassure zirself that they were solidly attached to the corners of the headboard. Byakuran had thrown aside the pillows but for one, tucked behind Mukuro's head, so that zir arms spread straight across the mattress and held zir stretched in zir exposure. Ze shifted, skin prickling under the cold air, eagerly pressing against the heat of any touch.

He made a show of rolling up his shirt sleeves and taking off his shoes, stood at the foot of the bed, drank in the sight of Mukuro with a greedy smile and a glint in his eyes that wound deep into zir stomach. In two leisurely steps he was beside zir, leaning over zir, one knee on the mattress, one finger tracing circles around zir piercings. His smile widened.

"How many of these," he asked, bending to lick a steel ball above zir navel, "do you have right now, Mu-kun?" Zir back arched towards him.

What was it now? It was difficult to think. "Twenty-one, besides my ears," ze finally hissed.

He lapped at a garnet nestled against zir hipbone. "Last time there were twenty-two. I want to find what you took out."

A shiver started at zir neck, making its way down zir spine as if it hesitated at each individual disc. Goosebumps rose under Byakuran's fingers, gently searching zir body, dipping into curves and caressing the softest skin. He followed the lines of the lotus tattooed inside zir thigh, followed it up across zir hips, scraped his fingernails in the cavity just below zir stomach and smiled when Mukuro moaned and rose up to meet him; he bit into flesh so softly that he left no marks, pressed his tongue against the most sensitive places and let it press back. Zir toes curled.

The bed sank beneath him when he settled between Mukuro's thighs and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. "You're already sweating, pet? You're better than that." His palm slid from zir knee to zir hip, fingers spread wide to fondle the full curve of zir inner thigh in his hand. It flexed at his touch.

Ze tugged hard at the restraints; the chains clattered loud against the headboard and fell silent again. _"Oya, oya,_ are you getting bored? I didn't take you for the kind of man that calls it a day after a couple of cuffs." Halfway through zir voice cracked and trembled as hard as zir body. Byakuran snickered, and zir cheeks darkened.

"You already know what leather feels like, Mu-kun," he laughed. His hand settled on zir stomach, thumb stroking lines so close to zir erection. Each rub burned electricity into zir skin. "Now you're going to memorise the feeling of _me._ I'm going to carve me into you until you feel me in your sleep."

He punctuated the words with a pinch that dug five fingernails into the soft skin in the curve of zir thigh. Mukuro gasped.

"Now I have an order for you, darling. Don't say another word. I'm not going to gag you—you're going to do it of your own volition. Do you understand?"

There wasn't enough hesitation in zir nod. Finding words was like grasping at air, whirling around zir mind in a storm of sensation that drowned out any hope of obstinacy.

"First, Mu-kun, I'm going to burn my image into your mind, and you're not going to look away or close your eyes." His hand crept up Mukuro's stomach and tweaked one of zir nipples. Ze shuddered and managed half a nod.

His hair blended in with the snow-white room as it tickled zir chest. He hovered over zir, trailing kisses along zir breastbone; the moan was torn from zir throat when he brushed his knee up against zir and caught a stud between his teeth to tug on zir nipple. His chest laid warmly on zir stomach, loose shirt tails brushing against zir cock, moving with every shift of Byakuran's body. Ze arched against him and murmured desire, only to be held firmly back against the mattress. Mukuro whined.

It ached where he kissed and pulled zir nipple again, this time with teeth on flesh. He sucked hard, tugged, lathed his tongue against it, pulled as far as it would go, and moved to the other to repeat the process. With each ze whimpered and cried every time that he switched, back and forth until each was swollen and dark. Ze could hardly tell the difference between pain and pleasure, writhing under his ruthlessness like it was ecstasy. It wasn't enough.

A thumb played with one of the sore nubs that he'd created while he ventured further downwards, taking his time latching teeth onto Mukuro's skin and grinding his tongue in, pulling blood to the surface and breaking capillaries, sucking bruises into zir skin and moving to the next spot. There was little to see but his hand toying with zir nipples, his long fingers merciless, digging his nails into zir flesh. The cold touches of his ring sent shocks across zir body.

Byakuran's tongue dipped into zir navel and toyed with the piercing there, lapped at the skin around it while ze squirmed and tried to buck against his hold. By the time he'd trailed bruises to zir hips and was digging them into zir hipbones, following zir lymphs and earning loud yowls with every hard suck, there were tears gathering at the corners of zir eyes and threatening to spill. Still he took his time, moved to the softer places under zir stomach, the tops of zir inner thighs, played with the studs on zir perineum and in zir curves, and began again to follow the most sensitive lines with violence.

It was hard to watch. Mukuro needed to close zir eyes and lose zirself entirely to desperation, writhing beneath every caress, but he kept glancing up to be sure that ze was looking, obeying, his image sinking into zir mind to tie itself into this feeling. Already it was working; each time their eyes met another jolt of desire shot through zir body, setting zir skin tingling with sensitivity. Byakuran sank his teeth into the inside of zir thigh again and ze bucked and kicked, but he caught zir knee in a tight grip and leaned back, rubbing his cheek where ze'd caught him.

"Ne, Mu-kun, it looks like you aren't going to behave, doesn't it? I suppose I'll give you a little bit of that wish, then." One fluid movement and he was off of the bed again, leaving a shiveringly cold wake where his body had been. He opened the cabinet ze'd noticed earlier and reached in. "I got a lot of new things just to keep in the bedroom for you. This way the playroom has its own set of fun things."

Zir fingers grasped at empty air and finally clasped around chains. From the angle ze couldn't tell what he was looking at, but he seemed to be in deep consideration. When he took something, there was the sound of metal.

With a chortle he held up a long bar and a couple of cuffs. "You wanted more leather, right, pet? Be good and let me put this on you."

He was taking his time. Mukuro bit back a whine as he tied cold leather above zir ankles and colder buckles pressed into zir skin. He gave them a few tugs to be sure that they were secure and, with a pleased him of success, screwed each end of the spreader bar to the inside of the cuffs so that zir legs were fixed apart. "Better?"

His fingernails dug into zir calf. Ze whimpered and nodded, tried to move zir legs, grimaced at the awkward way that they were bound. Looking satisfied, Byakuran undid the last buttons on his shirt and set it aside on the dresser. It was subtle, but ze thought ze saw a thin sheen of sweat on his skin. "But in return for giving you something _you_ want, I'm going to take something  _I_ want, too. Say 'marshmallows,' Mu-kun!"

 _The mirror._ There was the sound of a lens shutter and ze caught sight of the phone aimed at zir through its reflection. Mukuro grimaced and squirmed in an attempt to turn away from the camera, caught between a flash of irritation and the desperation that was sunk deep into zir veins.

"I want to see how these come out," he hummed, turning back around to lean over the bed, time holding the phone where ze could see. He angled it to catch the growing bruises on zir thighs and torso, grin growing. "I'll take more when they've gotten nice and dark. We can look at them and remember our first time together, ne?"

Ze shuddered. The sixth time, actually—the first as Master and pet, the sixth altogether, but the things that Byakuran was doing were all so new that it might as well have been a first.

There was something else in his hands. "Since you've been so good, and you're so impatient, I'm going to speed things up a little bit. Lift your head up for me, good pet." Darkness enfolded zir as he wrapped a blindfold over zir eyes and tied it in zir hair so it wouldn't slip. Mukuro sighed, wondering vaguely at the comfort that came with blindness. Ze didn't track him with zir eyes, worry where he was, where his hands were going; ze only arched up against them and gasped with every touch, shuddered as he drew fingers over the bruises he'd made all over zir. The world narrowed down to four senses. There was no room, only a bed and two bodies.

Ze had been right—he was sickeningly sweet. His lips were hard, demanding that Mukuro's mould to them, his teeth scraping against zir tongue whenever Mukuro opened zir mouth and moaned into his. He played with the studs in zir tongue, swirled them around, drew shapes on zir palate while ze squirmed and struggled to wrap zir knees around him with the spreader interfering. Byakuran purred at zir frustration and pinched zir aching nipples, driving static pangs into zir that wound to zir groin and gathered with the growing electricity deep in zir stomach.

Each shock made zir breath catch, shattered every gasp. Ze moaned when he stopped the kiss and a drop of saliva broke and trailed from zir lips. The blindfold was damp with tears and he licked away one that had escaped onto zir cheek. He sighed happily and leaned down so that ze felt his full weight, struggling to breathe with his chest bearing down on zirs.

What was he doing? He stretched his arms and legs along Mukuro's, clasped zir hands and intertwined their fingers. His scent was all ze could smell; the only sensations were of his body and the sheets, the way zir lungs burned for air when he kissed zir again. He was hard in his trousers, pressing against Mukuro's cock through the fabric and grinding ever so slightly against zir. All of his body held zir down, all of his weight on zir, digging zir into the mattress, every movement ground down into and choking zir. Mukuro whimpered against his tongue. At any moment ze would break into pieces and be assimilated into Byakuran, lose zirself and be nothing but _his._

The world was beginning to spin. Zir palms sweated against his and zir whines rose, high-pitched and broken, only to be muffled in Byakuran's mouth. He continued to grind an inch at a time, building a scorching heat of friction that joined with zir dizziness into a breathless crescendo of whirling overload.

Behind the blindfold zir vision was filled with bursts of light. With a hoarse yowl and a full-body shiver, ze came, fingernails dug hard into the backs of Byakuran's hands. The sheets were damp with sweat. He broke the kiss and ze gasped aloud; the world tilted and for a moment ze thought ze would pass out, but Byakuran lifted himself off of zir chest so ze lay trembling, throat sore and chest heaving. Zir mouth tasted like him.

"Not yet, pet," he crooned. Was that a giggle? There was the sound of a door, and then the shock of ice trailing along zir breastbone to drag zir out of the daze. "You don't get to run from this one."

Deep in his voice there was a growl, something hard in his throat that made a husky sound with each breath. Ze moaned, half-awake, and shivered hard when the ice was discarded and replaced with warm lips. The cold was lapped away until ze was feverish all over again, and that was when he undid his zipper.

The room echoed with metal clicks. He went slowly, savouring each individual snap. Mukuro bit zir lip and tasted blood, dug zir fingernails into zir palms, curled zir toes into the sheets. He purred.

Fabric shuffling. Falling. Ze ached to look but the blindfold was secure. Byakuran unhooked one of zir wrists and guided zir in the awkward turn onto zir stomach before tying them again, this time together over zir head. Mukuro whined into the pillow at the heat of their thighs brushing, of Byakuran's hands exploring slowly down zir back.

"Here it is!" he laughed, suddenly victorious. "You took out the dermal between your dimples. Were you worried a paddle might pull it out?"

(Ze had been, but that was beside the point.) He stroked the base of zir back and ze pressed up into his hand. The only thing that mattered now was that he was only touching zir using one hand, that the air was cold and he was _hot,_ and the sensitivity between zir legs that made zir thighs quake. At the last moment ze bit back a word, not sure what ze was even going to say, and settled for communicating with a long whine.

The bed sank under his weight as he shifted between zir knees. "Don't move, pet. Deep breaths," he guided softly, palms kneading zir ass the way ze was kneading the pillow, and Mukuro buried zir face into it. He took a moment to enjoy himself and let go, giving zir the opportunity to fantasise about the wet sound of his hands warming the lubrication oil, to press a slick finger against zir.

"Relax. Breathe, sweet pet," he purred. "I've got you."

Ze gasped for breath and shifted zir knees, struggling shortly with the spreader, and focused on the tension that held zir body tight. The sensation of his finger pushing in past the first ring, the way it quivered around him, and as he pressed in up to the knuckle and murmured some sort of anticipation, all of it crashed in until tears were staining the pillowcase and zir muffled whimpers were loud enough to give Byakuran pause—but only for a moment.

Two fingers. Three fingers. Ze knew this part. Byakuran curled them, nuzzled his fingertips gently across the burning bump inside zir, and ze yelled and shuddered around him. Liquid lightning wound through zir nerves, dashing through zir lymphs and swirling heavily into the pit of zir stomach.

He scissored his fingers and leaned over so his chest laid against zir back while he sprinkled kisses up zir neck, each piece of jewellery on zir nape, and pressed his face into the crook of zir shoulder just against the collar. Each thrust of his fingers made certain to brush against zir prostate, sending zir into dizzy spasms until ze thought ze might climax again, only for Byakuran to pull his hand away at the last moment.

Here it was. He shifted behind zir. Ze braced zirself, waiting for his full strength, strained back towards him, but it felt as though he were leaning away. He unscrewed the spreader bar and lifted zir hips to push zir thighs together, surprising zir into an alarmed sound, and— _oh!_

Ze missed his fingers but he didn't press inside again. Instead he guided the head of his cock into the gap between zir thighs, snug against zir perineum and the piercings there, and thrust forward. His hip bones struck and bared into zir ass, earning a broken gasp with each snap of his hips. His fingernails dragged over every bruise he'd already made, setting the rest of zir body alight, drowning zir in frustration at what burned every instinct that said this should be satisfying despite the ache in zir stomach that said it wasn't. It wasn't enough. He was teasing, he was doing this on purpose, he was driving zir wild. He fucked zir thighs with a vengeance.

The tears had turned into those of desperation and the sounds welling in zir throat didn't get the chance to form before being drowned in gasps. Heat built in the friction against zir back, his arms wrapped strongly around zir waist, the burn building against zir groin where he was fucking.

Ze made a sound of confusion when he straightened and pressed a hand into zir upper back, holding Mukuro's shoulders and face pressed into the bed and hips as high as they would go. Zir spine was sore, thighs shaking, knees bruising even against a mattress. Every thrust bared zir hard into it.

"By now I thought you'd break and say something," he muttered. Did he sound a little disappointed? In zir daze ze wounded if ze ought to feel guilty that ze hadn't given him an opportunity to enact a punishment. "You're being so good, pet. And good pets get rewards, don't they?"

The last snap holding zir wrists to the headboard was undone, leaving them tied together but free to move. He used Mukuro's hair to guide zir around until ze kneeled facing him, panting and confused. "Come here, Mu-kun. Remember what I told you earlier."

In even the dim light, the whiteness of the room was overwhelming when he undid the blindfold. Realisation dawned immediately as ze made sense of what ze was seeing, Byakuran waiting with a hand in zir hair, tugging zir downwards.

He wasn't wearing a condom. Ze stared for a second, biting zir lips between pants and dizzy with desire, and bent to wrap zir lips around him. Byakuran moaned appreciatively at zir first touch and ze contemplated the taste of him, the scent of sweat and testosterone without the acrid undertone of latex. His hand reminded zir to move.

Tongue studs paying special attention to his frenulum, ze slowly slid zir lips down, swallowed him into zir throat, moaned around him and shuddered at the inability to draw a breath. "Good pet," he breathed. "Go on." Ze drew back, ran zir tongue all along the underside, traced the flow of muscle up to his glans. His precum was salty and a bit too sweet. His cock twitched in zir mouth when ze took him in again.

No matter how good ze was being it didn't seem to be enough. Byakuran's fingers dug into zir scalp, urging zir to move faster, to suck harder; finally he took a handful of zir hair and forcefully pulled zir head down onto him till ze was gagging around his entire length, and began to move.

The tears began again, this time streaming down zir cheeks as ze suppressed the urge to gag, choking for a breath every time he rocked his hips back. Ze glanced up blearily to see him leering down, watching with fascination, and ze closed zir eyes again. Zir nose was buried in his crotch and each inhalation was full of his scent; zir scalp prickled with pain where he pulled zir hair. When ze made a noise it sounded entirely alien to zir ears.

There it was. Byakuran sighed and thrust harder, twitched a few times in zir mouth, and drew back. Mukuro opened zir eyes, startled when he pumped his cock with his own fist. That was what ze was meant to remember. Ze shuddered and waited.

Avidly he watched as he came onto zir lips. He pressed the head of his cock just between them to spill onto zir tongue; ze blanched, fighting zir gag reflex. It was bitter, thicker than ze'd anticipated, almost sticky when ze licked zir lips and forced zirself to swallow.

Byakuran's semen. Ze took a moment to let that sink in and lifted zir eyes to check his reaction. He took zir under the chin and drew zir up for the deepest kiss so far, surprising zir into over-balancing, and he caught zir with his free arm to hold zir still. Zir bound forearms wedged between their chests, hands half-numb and fingers grasping at his skin and ze could revel in the feeling of his muscles rippling under his skin.

That didn't help zir trembling. In the end ze had to lean into Byakuran, struggling to communicate zir desire through zir fingertips and zir tongue against his. A stud clicked raucously against Byakuran's tooth.

His hand guided Mukuro's downwards. Even as he broke the kiss to speak, his lips pressed against zirs. "Go ahead," he purred. "I've got you, remember?"

Zir face had already been hot, and now it flared. As if to prove himself, Byakuran tightened his grip around zir waist and invited Mukuro to lay zir head on his shoulder. They could have laid down, but ze knew this was on purpose—he wanted to hold, to support zir weight while ze struggled. There was a point to everything. My toy, he was saying. I use you. I take care of you. I hurt you, I lick the wounds.

Face pressed into Byakuran's throat, ze wrapped a hand around zir cock and hissed at the sensitivity that traced through zir like fire. Ze pressed a piercing, twirled a stud, hesitated before brushing zir thumbnail over zir slit. True to his promise, Byakuran held zir steady when ze shuddered and panted and sobbed into him. It might have been thirty seconds or an hour that ze stayed there, moaning into him, and finally ze gave a long, low keen and spilled across the sheets the second time.

Byakuran lowered zir down onto the mattress and ze laid boneless and gasping for breath. "Good pet," he repeated quietly, brushing away the tears that still gathered on zir face. "I think I'll wait till the morning for that massage, ne?"

Drily, between pants, ze managed to laugh. He unbuckled zir wrist cuffs and rubbed life back into zir fingers with his lips and his hands, and ze watched idly, finding a comfortable spot on the pillows that he retrieved. This was aftercare, wasn't it? Ze'd never tried it before. Actually, it hadn't even occurred to zir.

The dizziness was turning to drowsiness instead. Byakuran chuckled and kissed zir bruised lips, then the side of zir collar. "Sleep, sweet pet," he whispered. A snap of his fingers turned out the light. "Tomorrow we can go shopping."

Zir body thrummed with too much contentment to be worried about the promise. Byakuran's taste was still in zir mouth; as he drew the sheets up over them he laid against zir back and buried his face in the nape of zir neck and took a deep breath. Ze sighed, took a moment to enjoy his arms around zir, and closed zir eyes to sleep.

Ze could be concerned about everything tomorrow. There was certainly enough to worry about.


End file.
